I have a Dakota and have towed my Tradewind and Globetrotter with it. I have the 5 spd auto tranny with the V-8. All due respect to all the other folks kind enough to comment, IMHO you are maxed out at that weight. I have had Mopars for years (including dragging horses here, yon and elsewhere) and while I love them it is best to err on the side of caution when dealing with a Dodge transmission. Mine loves the GT and tolerates the TW. The rear end replacement, lower gearing options are a personal decision but before I spent that money I would shop for a diesel. Always disable your overdrive when towing and don't be afraid to go slowly up mountains. That is why God invented flashers.

Yea, in some places it's as high as 100, Kilometers PH, not MPH. We have speed limits in Texas as high a 85 MPH, which would be about 137 KPH.

Do you guys even have cars that will go that fast?

Does anyone tow at 85mph?

No wonder there are so many GYM tire failures.

Major highway's in Ontario generally have a 100kph speed limit, but thats the MAXIMUM speed. Responsible drivers should travel according to road conditions and their driving situation. I have no doubt my truck could reach 85mph towing, but I don't care what a sign on a post says, that's not safe, and I won't do it.
My sports car's another story but it doesn't have a trailer hitch.

I had a 2005 Dodge Dakota 4.7L v8 with posi traction and rigged for towing and then bought my 2005 AS Safari 25 ft LS.

Works fine on flat land but when I made the trip to Yosemite I had a major problem with the engine heating up and barly made it to the top of the summit when the engine turned itself off!
YOu can only imagine the fear one gets going uphill with other rigs behind you and your motor is heating up and your truck starts to slow itself down and eventually shuts itself off !

On the way home I had to wait for the engine to cool before I could go up hill on the "grapevine" on hiway 5 (CA). EVen then, I had to get a running start to make it up the hill.

When I took it into the shop I was told I had a cracked head and my exhaust pipe had expanded due to the etreme heat. Good news..... I was still covered under the warrenty (I had 1000 miles left on the 36000 warrenty).

Cost for repairs..... $3200 and change.

So, that`s my story sad bu true.

__________________2007 Dodge Ram Quadcab 6.7L Diesel w/jakebrake"Better to have more then you need, then need more then you have because you don't have enough!"AIR #: 8129

Major highway's in Ontario generally have a 100kph speed limit, but thats the MAXIMUM speed. Responsible drivers should travel according to road conditions and their driving situation. I have no doubt my truck could reach 85mph towing, but I don't care what a sign on a post says, that's not safe, and I won't do it.
My sports car's another story but it doesn't have a trailer hitch.

There are definitely nitwits here in Texas who tow all manner of ratty, poorly-maintained trailers with mix-and-max tires at those sorts of speeds with their HD pickups. They pass me with some frequency when I'm towing the Argosy, though not nearly as many of them pass me when I'm in the Legacy GT... not sure why.

I will say that these people are usually towing utility trailers and flatbeds, it's rare (but not unheard of) to see my fellow Texans pulling their travel trailers that fast, probably because they've often got their family with them and their spouse calls them on it!

Many people don't realise that trailer tires have a max tow speed of 65mph ( on the sidewall) and even at that speed if something happens it gets real dicey quick. I've had trailers pass me going to Florida doing 75 or so and once saw the result with insulation, windows and scattered fragments strewn all over the highway. (I stopped and asked what happened and a guy said a tire blew and the white box trailer swerved and flipped ).

I had a 2005 Dodge Dakota 4.7L v8 with posi traction and rigged for towing and then bought my 2005 AS Safari 25 ft LS.

Works fine on flat land but when I made the trip to Yosemite I had a major problem with the engine heating up and barly made it to the top of the summit when the engine turned itself off!

When I took it into the shop I was told I had a cracked head and my exhaust pipe had expanded due to the etreme heat. Good news..... I was still covered under the warrenty (I had 1000 miles left on the 36000 warrenty).

Cost for repairs..... $3200 and change.

So, that`s my story sad bu true.

The weight is the weight. What a great example of Max vehicle tow weight. The 2005 25' Safari weighs 5270 without accesories so adding about 300 lbs for acc. and whatever stuff was packed in it usually 600 lbs is a good average for food water, clothing, bed stuff you were right at, or over, the trucks ideal condition tow capacity. Add in climbing high terrain (less oxygen, grade % ?, wind) and you're beating the death out of your rig. Hope you upgrade to a higher capacity vehicle.
Best of luck.

The weight is the weight. What a great example of Max vehicle tow weight. The 2005 25' Safari weighs 5270 without accesories so adding about 300 lbs for acc. and whatever stuff was packed in it usually 600 lbs is a good average for food water, clothing, bed stuff you were right at, or over, the trucks ideal condition tow capacity. Add in climbing high terrain (less oxygen, grade % ?, wind) and you're beating the death out of your rig. Hope you upgrade to a higher capacity vehicle.
Best of luck.

Oh, forgot to mention that I later purchased a Dodge 2500 diesel w tow package. Now towing is not an issue......telling the wife not to take so much "stuff" is !........LOL

Safari Rick

__________________2007 Dodge Ram Quadcab 6.7L Diesel w/jakebrake"Better to have more then you need, then need more then you have because you don't have enough!"AIR #: 8129

I'm the guy towing the 27' Overlander with the 5 cylinder Volvo . . . we're graduating to a 6 cylinder Volvo next year! The surplus of power will be great!

I've looked at the numbers; the 4.7 Dodge wouldn't be great - not even as good as the Volvo 5 cylinder. It will do the job, but you will need to be patient. However, if it's what you've got, give it a try.

You may wonder why the Volvo would be better. It's because of gearing, and the fact that the Volvo engine spins faster to get the job done. (It's generally at 3000 to 3300 rpm on a level highway, 4500 on hills, 5000+ when accelerating (manual transmission).

I have a 27 ft International with gross weight of 6200 lbs.
Will a 2006 Dodge Dakota 4.7L V8, 5 speed auto trans with tow package handle it?

The reason you are getting different opinions here is because you are so close to the edge... If you putt-putt on the flats, it will be a bit of a dog but it will do it. That setup is going to work really hard on hills and into stiff headwinds...

So, it really depends on if you get a good WD hitch to manage the weight, and what your idea of 'acceptable' is for performance. Many here are quite over-capable with their tow vehicles so they don't have to debate such issues...

It wouldn't be ideal... if that is a PC way to say it... and if you flog it, it will explode.

I have owned (3) Dodge Dakotas and would never tow with one again. All the transmissions have failed between 80 and 100,000 miles. the service folks told me after the last one, the transmissions aren't built for very heavy service. I don't own a Dakota anymore because of it. My experience may be unusual, but when a Dodge service guy told me that, well , that was good enough for me.